Introduction of the GIGABYTE Z97N-GAMING 5

During Computex a few months ago we had a chance to check out a bunch of new motherboards from our friends over at GIGABYTE. On a massive wall of motherboards that focused around the GAMING series, there was a Mini-ITX motherboard that grabbed my attention.

The GIGABYTE Z97N-GAMING 5 looked great from the moment I saw it, and I knew it must be mine to test. A few months later, the board arrived and it was time to test it to see just what kind of performance we can get out of it.

While the new X99 chipset is around the corner from Intel, the Z97 chipset continues to stay extremely relevant, as it focuses on the mainstream market. The upcoming X99 is designed for users wanting the ultimate in performance; huge twelve threaded CPUs or massive four video card setups.

Still, we're a few weeks away from the launch of that chipset, and today is all about the Mini-ITX based Z97N-GAMING 5 from GIGABYTE. So, let's leave it at that, and see what this tiny board can deliver in terms of performance. But first, let's see what's going on with the bundle.

Package - What comes inside the box

Looking at the box, you don't see a whole lot going on for the simple reason that the box isn't all that big. You can see we've got the brand across the top, and the model across the bottom. The only feature that is really mentioned on the front of the box is the inclusion of an 802.11ac, and BLUETOOTH 3.0 module.

Turning the box over, we get a better idea of what's going on here with the board. On the left hand side you can see GIGABYTE break down some of the main features, which include Performance via Durable Black Solid Caps, and High Efficient MOSFET Design. Audio comes from the Realtek ALC1150 Code, Dedicated Audio Hardware Zone, High-End Audio Capacitors, and gold-plated ports.

Networking comes with the well-known Killer E2200 network chip, and the Bluetooth 4.0 / 802.11ac wireless module we just mentioned. We finish off with looks via the all new heat sink design. As for the right side of the box, you can see a picture of the board, and some information on where exactly those features just mentioned are on the board.

Looking inside of the box, since the box itself is quite small, it comes as no real surprise that there's not a whole lot going on. Although, looking above, you can see all of the standard inclusions covering the manuals, driver CD, networking driver CD, I/O shield, and a pair of SATA cables. Along with all that, you can see we've also got an antenna included in the box, which goes with the Bluetooth 4.0 / 801.11 ac module that we've already mentioned.

PRICING: You can find the GIGABYTE Z97N-GAMING 5 for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.